


Mac+Autism+Jack+Stable

by Phoenix974



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Autism, Autistic Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Autistic!Mac, Gen, Jack is a Dad, Protective Jack, Stable AU, bozer and Riley are good friends, dad!Jack, jack adopts mac, james Macgyver was a bad parent, neurodivergent, teen!Mac, young!mac
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:00:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 4,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26280793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phoenix974/pseuds/Phoenix974
Summary: When James dies in a car crash, 14-year-old Mac moves in with Jack, his boss, mentor, and father figure.
Relationships: Angus MacGyver & Jack Dalton - Relationship, Angus Macgyver & Wilt Bozer, angus macgyver & riley davis
Comments: 3
Kudos: 25





	1. Mac

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t want to offend anyone. I don’t know how accurate my descriptions of Autism will be. They are based entirely on my experiences with autism.  
> I also don’t know much about horses or stables, so if you could kindly ignore any inaccuracies, that would be great.  
> Also, this is inspired by dickgrysvn's stablehands and stable homes.
> 
> Also, in this, James MacGyver has died, and Mac is in foster care (only for the first chapter). James was still a bad parent, and his influence still affects Mac every day.

**Mac+Autism+Jack+Stable**

Chapter 1

* * *

Mac’s POV

Benjamin Franklin once said that three can keep a secret if two of them are dead. The moral of that story is that if you have a secret worth keeping, you shouldn’t tell anyone. Obviously, I took his advice, except, rather than killing two people, I just don't tell people my secret. Now you might be thinking, it’s one thing not to tell your friend who your crush is, but keeping secrets from your boss probably isn’t a good idea.

The thing is, I would tell Jack. He's my boss. He's really nice, but I can't tell him. Firstly, my dad says to never tell anyone, and secondly, he would have never hired me if he knew. Like my dad says, no one wants to be around an autistic kid like me, so I have to be normal. I have to make it so they don't have to deal with me. Of course, some people know, my teachers at school, and the various doctors and dentists my dad makes me go to. Sorry, I got distracted, back to the point. Jack is going to figure out sometime, and I really don't want to lie to him, but he is going to adopt me, or at least foster me. I doubt he will still want me once he figures out. 

I did some research, once someone agrees to foster a child (I'm a teenager, but the rules are apparently the same), they get access to all of the child's past medical records. That means that no matter how hard I try to hide it from Jack, he will still know the second they hand over that paperwork. Not to mention, he will probably make me go back to the therapist I was seeing, and the orthodontist my dad made me go to. These past few months have been hard because of all the extra noise and the sudden change in routine, but at least they haven't made me go to any of the appointments. 

Sorry, this is really short. The next chapter will be longer. I want to go into both the difficulties of life as an autistic teenager trying to hide their autism, and the relationshi; between Mac and Jack. Also, I will probably only be able to write one or two more chapters for a while. I'm still in school, and I only have about a month and a half before I have to take NCEA exams. 


	2. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack starts to foster Mac, and along with the arrival of Mac's paperwork comes questions.

Mac’s POV

When I left the foster home this morning for school, the lady in charge told me that Jack is going to pick me up and that if all goes well, I won't ever have to go back to that place. It’s not that I don’t like it there, they have all been nice, I guess. They let me stay in my room when I’m not at school, but it’s so loud. I can’t stand it. Hopefully, Jack’s house will be softer. 

About five minutes before the end-of-day bell rang, I got a text.

Jack: Hey, Mac. I’m sure by now you know, but if you haven’t yet heard, I’m taking you home with me! You’re basically my kid now!

Jack: Also, I’m outside your school, so when the bell rings, look for the truck

Mac: Okay

After that, we were told to pack up, we could leave early today. Unlike the other kids, who rushed out of the classroom as soon as the teacher was done talking, I took my time packing up. Don’t get me wrong, I want to live with Jack and all, but I don’t want him to think any differently of me. It’s not that I’m nervous, either. I know that Jack isn’t just taking me out of pity. It’s just that he knows about the sad story of my childhood, which I would tell you about, but I don’t really want to talk about all of my family members dying. I just don’t want to have the conversations that Jack is going to want to have. They may not happen today, but I can guarantee that they will happen before the weekend is over. 

It’s not until the bell rings that I’m startled out of my head, and forced to cover my ears to try to block out the offending noise. ‘I guess I should probably go find Jack before he freaks out,’ I think before exiting the school building. It takes about twenty seconds to scan the parking lot and find Jack’s truck, and I start walking toward it. When I get there, Jack hops out.

“Hey, kiddo, how was your day?” Jack asks.

“Eh,” I mumble. 

Jack leaves it at that, figuring I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t mean to be rude, but by the time I’m out of school, it’s like my social battery has died. On the ride to Jack’s house, I don’t contribute to the conversation, instead opting to listen to Jack go on about the Star Wars movies. He doesn’t agree with George Lucas selling out to Disney, and no Star Wars movie made by Disney will ever be as good as the originals made by “Georgie,” as Jack called him. When we finally get to Jack’s house, we get out of the truck and walk inside. 

  
“You want a snack, kid?” Jack asks. 

I shrug my shoulders and sit down at the kitchen table to start on my homework before he can comment on how skinny I am. I’m not even that skinny. The last time I went to the doctor, which I admit was about three years ago, they said that I’m on track, which I guess is a good thing, even though it doesn’t make much sense. Apparently, it’s a saying. 

“Not hungry, I guess,” Jack says, “Do you need any help with you’re homework? Who am I kidding, of course you don’t, you’re practically a genius. Well, I’m here if you need anything. If you want, I can show you your room after you’re done?”

I just nod my head before returning my attention to the Calculus homework I was working on. I only have one problem left, I did most of it in class, so I finish the question before looking back to Jack. I look up at Jack and tell him that I’m finished, before realising that I haven’t said anything. 

“Kiddo, everything okay, you haven’t said anything, and you’re kinda staring at me.”

I grab a sheet of paper to write my answer after deciding that I guess I can’t talk right now. I write a short note saying that I’ve finished. I think about asking if he’s read my paperwork yet, but I don’t really want to know. I figure if he has, he probably doesn’t know what’s going on, and if he hasn’t, I can’t talk about it, or anything else, now. So I just hand over the note. He reads it and asks if I would rather watch a movie, or go to my room and “do whatever it is that teenagers do these days.” I take the paper back and add that I’ll do whatever he would rather do. I don’t want to upset him, especially not on my first day.

“If you want to just lay low on your own for a bit, that’s fine with me, then we can watch a movie after dinner if you want.” 

Okay, I write. 

Jack shows me where my room is, where his room is, and where the bathroom is before telling me that he is going to work on some paperwork in his room and to let him know if I need anything. I nod as a response and go to my room. 

Hopefully, he just thinks that I’m nervous or something. When I first started work at his stable a year ago, I didn’t talk much, and he always just assumed that I was too nervous to say anything. I guess he was right in a way, but I definitely wasn’t nervous in the way that he was intending it. 


	3. Movie Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this is pretty short, but I wanted to write, and I figured that something is better than nothing. I hope you enjoy it!

Mac POV

After reading for about half an hour, I decide that I should probably socialise with my soon-to-be-father. If Jack is in the middle of something, I won’t interrupt him, but I also don’t want him to think that I don’t want to be around him. Sorry, I don’t think that made much sense. I guess I mean, I just want him to know that I don’t hate him. I know what you’re thinking. “Mac, just tell him. He’s not going to think any differently of you, you’ve known him for a year.” Thinking about it, I’m kind of surprised that he hasn’t figured it out yet, if he has, he hasn’t said anything. Anyway, back to the problem at hand. Sorry, I get distracted pretty easily. I decide that I should go find Jack and see if he wants to do anything. I don’t know about most kids, but I hear Bozer talk about having movie nights with his family on Fridays. It seems like a fun thing to do, at least the way Bozer described it. Whenever James let me watch movies, they were always educational, and I was often tested on what I learned. 

Once I have decided that, if asked, a movie night would be a fun thing to do, I go down the hall to Jack’s room. I knock lightly on the door. 

“Come in,” Jack calls. I walk in. “Hey, bud, what’s up? Do you need anything?”

I consider asking if we could watch a movie tonight before mentally freezing and resorting to the usual. “I’m fine,” I say. 

“You sure? Are you getting hungry? I know it’s a little early, but I was thinking about starting dinner. We need to get you fattened up, you’re just skin and bones.”

“Actually, the human body is made up of bones, muscle tissue, organs, lymph nodes, blood, and other bodily fluids. Oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, calcium, hydrogen, and phosphorus make up nearly ninety-nine percent of the body. Sorry.”

“Don't apologise, that’s kind of cool, but it doesn’t change the fact that you’re skinny. You hungry? I was thinking spaghetti for dinner, but if you want to do something else, that would be good, too.”

“Spaghetti’s fine.”

“Perfect! It can be ready in about ten minutes, or we can wait longer if you’re not hungry yet.”

Before I get a chance to say that I’m happy to do whatever Jack wants, my stomach gives me away.

“So ten minutes it is,” Jack says with a chuckle. I don’t really know what he thinks is funny, but I let it go.

I follow Jack to the kitchen and set the table as he starts the pasta. Eight minutes later, the timer beeps, alerting us that the pasta is done. Jack strains the water and brings it to the table. After he microwaves the sauce, he sits down, telling me to do the same. This is the part I was nervous about. According to the various psychology books I’ve read (James’ attempts to make me seem more ‘normal’), people talk at mealtimes. That’s fine, I don’t mind listening to Jack talk, what I’m worried about is what he wants to talk about. 

“So, kiddo, how was school?”

“It was fine.”

I feel bad, I’m not very good at carrying on a conversation. Because of this, we sit, silently eating the long noodles for a few minutes.

“Sorry Mac, I didn’t want to bring this up if I didn’t have to,” Here it comes, I think, “but your social worker told me that it has been three years since you have been to the doctor, and one of the adoption requirements is that you have had a physical in the past year. I have found a good doctor locally, and I want to set up an appointment soon so we can get it over with. Since you have Monday off of school, would it be okay if I made the appointment for then?”

Okay, so not what I was expecting, but not much better, either. I don’t want to disappoint Jack, so I agree.   
“Hey, I know I’m supposed to be the responsible adult, and all, but if you want, we could watch a movie tonight. It is a weekend, after all. How does that sound?”

“Okay.”

After that, we both finish our pasta so that we can watch a movie. I don’t know what kind of movies Jack likes, but I’m guessing that they are not very educational, and I don’t mind that. We end up watching Die Hard. It’s one of Jack’s favourites. I kind of like it. It doesn’t make much sense, but Jack seems to think it’s funny. By the time it finishes, it’s about ten pm. I decided that it is probably time for me to go to bed. Jack hasn’t said if I have a bedtime, in fact, he hasn’t mentioned any rules at all. He is probably saving those for another day. When I get up to go to bed, Jack startles me by pulling me into a big hug. I don’t think anyone has hugged me since my grandpa passed away eight years ago. I usually don’t like hugs, but when Jack hugs me, I feel safe. Safe is a nice feeling. 

“Good night, kid. Sleep well.”

Once Jack releases me, I go down the hall. I brush my teeth, put on sweatpants and an old t-shirt, and go to bed. 


	4. Day 1

Or I guess it is kind of day 2 if you count Friday after school. It wasn't a full day, though, so maybe it shouldn’t count. I don’t know, time is weird when you think about it.

So, I woke up this morning at around 5 am. You probably think that 5 is way too early for a teenager to be awake on a weekend, but I’m used to it. I used to always wake up early so I could avoid James in the mornings, but now, I guess I do it out of habit. I did my usual routine, shower, brush teeth, and try to figure out something to wear (it has to be socially acceptable, but still comfortable), before going to the kitchen to get cereal for breakfast. I always have cornflakes for breakfast, I have been for as long as I can remember. Now, it seems wrong to eat anything else. So, I searched the cupboards for cornflakes. Jack doesn’t have cornflakes. Why wouldn’t Jack have cornflakes? What sane person eats something else for breakfast? Suddenly, my thoughts are interrupted by Jack entering the room.

“Morning, kid. I was thinking, how would you feel about pancakes for breakfast this morning? My momma used to make the best pancakes, we had them every Saturday when I was a kid! Maybe next week, I could even teach you the super-secret Dalton family recipe!”

“Thanks, but I guess I’m not really that hungry.”

“You sure, if you don’t want pancakes, that’s fine, we could have them on Sundays, start our own tradition, we can have a more low-key breakfast this morning if you’d rather.”

“Okay.”

“So, what do you want? I could make grits or oatmeal, or we could have good old fashioned cereal and milk.”

“That’s alright, like I said, I’m not really that hungry.”

“Look, kiddo, in my experience, ‘not that hungry’ for a teenager still means you could eat a horse. What did you used to have for breakfast, we could have that if it would make you more comfortable.”

“Cornflakes.”

“Okay, I don’t think I have any cornflakes, but I could run to the store really quickly and pick some up, or I could see if we could borrow some from the neighbors.”

“That’s okay, we can just have oatmeal or something.”

“Oatmeal it is then!”

After breakfast (I barely ate anything, Jack gave me a worried look, but didn’t say anything), we decided to go for a jog. I like jogging, it is one of the few things that actually clears my mind. Unfortunately, Jack only wanted to go for a two-mile run. I used to run ten miles on most days. It felt nice. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, I'm sorry this is short, I'm going to write part 2 as soon as I am done with exams.  
> I'm so excited! I just found out that season 5 premieres on December 4!


	5. Too Much

So, you’re probably wondering what we did for the rest of the day yesterday. Once we got home from our run, Jack let me go to my room to read or do homework. I ended up reading until lunch. We ate pasta for lunch. It wasn’t bad. It wasn’t slimy like some of the pasta I’ve had before. I was even able to have a ‘normal’ conversation as we ate. Which reminds me, Jack says that we will need to go shopping soon. He thinks that I need new clothes. I disagree, but my opinion on the matter wasn’t asked. Luckily, I got him to put it off, though. He initially wanted to go today. After lunch was over, I helped to tidy the house a little. Jack says that we will clean every Saturday, that way the house never gets too messy. I figure I would rather tidy up every weekend than have to actually clean once a month, or whatever, so I don’t mind. As I was putting something into a cupboard, I came across some puzzles. I really like puzzles. It’s nice the way you can lose yourself to the pieces. Anyway, Jack said that if I like puzzles so much, we can keep one out on the coffee table all the time, and we can work on it whenever we want. After we were done cleaning up, we had dinner (leftovers) and started the puzzle. Around 9:30, Jack suggested that we go to bed, so I did. 

Today, we had waffles for breakfast. They were really good, and Jack let me put strawberries on them! After breakfast, Jack said that we are going to church. Unluckily for me, Jack goes to one of those old-fashioned uptight churches, so he made me dress more nicely than I usually do. Rather than my normal cargo pants and t-shirt, I had to wear regular khaki pants and a scratchy button-up shirt. I know, I should just tell Jack that I have sensory problems, and some days fancy clothes just aren’t going to work. Unfortunately, today was one of those days. Once we got to Jack’s church, there were a bunch of little old ladies touching me, and then they started playing loud music. In short, it didn’t end up well. I was able to inconspicuously excuse myself to go to the bathroom, where I had a sensory overload, which was not helped by the bright fluorescent lights of the bathroom. I guess Jack must have gotten worried because he walked in on me covering my ears and rocking back and forth on the bathroom floor. 

“Hey, Mac, buddy, what’s up? You good?”

I also usually go mostly, if not totally non-verbal during sensory overloads, so I couldn’t really answer Jack verbally. I was able to sign that I would be fine, but I’m pretty sure that Jack doesn’t know sign. 

“Okay, kiddo, you’re scaring me a bit. Do you want to leave?”

I nodded to the best of my ability, it’s hard to nod with your face pressed into your knees. Jack then wrapped his arms around me and picked me up. He carried me out to the car and waited in the parking lot until I felt better and could explain what happened.

“Jack-”

“Mac! You’re okay! Don’t scare me like that again.”

“Jack, I’m sorry, I should’ve told you. Then none of this would’ve ever happened.”

“It’s okay, Mac, don’t freak yourself out more, but I think it might make you feel better to talk about whatever’s on your mind. You’ve been acting different ever since I picked you up from school on Friday.”

“I’m sorry. I have autism. I didn’t want to tell you, I was afraid you wouldn’t want me anymore.”

“Hey, I will always want you, nothing you do can change that. But I do need you to tell me these things. What happened?”

“That was a sensory overload. Basically, with autism, my senses are much stronger than normal people’s, so sometimes, things get to being too much. First, it was the scratchy, different clothes, but I could handle that. Then it was all the little old ladies touching me. That nearly caused an overload on top of the clothes, but I was able to get myself under control, until the music. It was really loud, and on top of everything else, I just couldn’t handle it. I’m sorry.”

“Mac, it’s okay. I didn’t know those things bothered you. Thanks for telling me. Is there anything I can do to make it better?”

“For church, it would help if I could wear whatever I want, and can I bring my headphones. They block out the noise when it gets too much.”

“Sure, kiddo. As long as it will help you. I know we haven’t had lunch yet, but do you want to go get ice cream?”

We ended up getting ice cream at a dairy queen near Jack’s church. Then we went home and had lunch. 

I think that things might just be a little easier now that Jack knows. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that Jack doesn't go to church, but I think that he might. He grew up in Texas, and a lot of people there attend church. Also, I'm sorry for any mistakes and any inaccuracies. The sensory overload is based on personal experience, but it may not represent how most people with autism experience sensory overload.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this one's pretty short, but it's all I can do today. I will probably add to it this weekend. If anyone has any ideas or would like to beta read for me, please let me know!

I don’t have school today, which is nice, but Jack is probably still going to make me go to the doctor. I hate going to the doctor. There are all of the screaming kids and the constant buzz of the fluorescent lights. Then there is the brightness of the lights, too. And they have to touch you, and they never really ask if it’s okay. And they are probably going to have to take blood, which I hate. The last time I went to the doctor, it didn’t go so well. I ended up having a meltdown, and then James got mad, and I got in trouble. But, if I want to get adopted sooner rather than later, I have to go. Besides, there isn’t any way of getting out of it. If I fake sick, Jack will just say that I should go to the doctor anyway, and I don’t really know of any other ways to get out of doing something I don’t want to do. I mean, I guess I could explain why I don’t want to go, but I don’t know if that would change anything. Anyway, I should probably go join Jack for breakfast. 

“Morning, kiddo, sleep well?” Jack greets me as I enter the kitchen. 

“I guess, how about you?”

“I slept alright! So, I don’t know if you remember, but you have a doctor’s appointment today. It’s only a check-up. I think I scheduled it for two this afternoon, then after, we can go get ice cream or walk in the park if you want.”

“Do I have to go?” I hate to admit it, but I sound like a whiny teenager, which I guess I am, but that’s not the point. 

“If you have a good reason not to go, I can reschedule for later in the week, but it has to happen at some point.”

“It’s just… last time I went, it didn’t go so well.”

“Last night I did some research. I didn’t know when I made the appointment, but the website for the doctor’s office says that the office is very sensory-friendly. So, I don’t know what happened last time, but hopefully, that will help.”

“Okay, I’ll try.”

“Let me know if it gets too much, and we can try to figure something else out.”

“Thanks, Jack.”


	7. Chapter 7

My doctor’s appointment went much better than the last time I went, but that’s not saying much. Last time, I was 11 years old and had a meltdown. My dad was furious, and I was grounded for three months after that. I wouldn’t have minded much except for rather than not being able to have friends over, or whatever is normal for grounding, James used that time to try to get me to be ‘normal.’ The good news is that, since then, I have only had two meltdowns, because I learned to channel it all into shutdowns. James didn’t mind the shutdowns, because I was just quiet for a while.

Anyway, you’re probably wondering how it went. As doctors go, it wasn’t so bad. Jack was right, the office was very sensory-friendly. They even dimmed the lights when Jack asked them to. I was non-verbal for most of it, but Jack said that I did really well, considering what happened last time (apparently, there was a note about it in my medical files). I had to get a few shots and my blood drawn, which was awful, but Jack and I went to get ice cream after, which was fun. 

Now that all the requirements are met, Jack and I are going to the courthouse next week so that I can be officially adopted. I’m really excited! Jack is going to be my official dad, and he promised to be a better dad than James ever was. 

In other news, Jack says I don’t have to go to the therapist anymore because he heard what they did. Unfortunately, though, I still have to finish with my braces, but Jack said he would try to find a different orthodontist if I wanted. And I get to go back to school tomorrow, which is always exciting because I get to do stuff in the chemistry lab!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for another short one. I wanted to at least write something before Christmas. I hope everyone has a nice time over the holidays! Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it.


	8. How can I help?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack and Mac sit down and talk about Mac's autism and how Jack can help him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The symptoms(?) Mac describes are based on my own. This is not necessarily representative of how others are affected. I do not want to offend anyone. I there are any inaccuracies, please comment to let me know.

Jack’s POV

Since finding out that Mac has Autism, (which I had suspected, but didn’t want to ask about) I have done a lot of research. I learned what it means to have autism and how it affects different people differently. I even read a few blogs about raising autistic kids, both written by parents and people with autism who feel that their parents didn’t do it right. The main thing I learned, though, was that I need to learn how Mac works. I need to figure out what bothers him and what he can handle. I also need to learn what I can do to help him. Seeing as I didn’t know any of this, I decided that it would make a good conversation topic over dinner. 

“So Mac,” I said as we sat down to eat, “I want to help you, and I want you to be happy and comfortable. Can you tell me more about how autism affects you?”

“Er, I guess. What do you want to know?”

“Whatever you're comfortable telling me. But, specifically, it would be good to know what bothers you and what I can do to help you.”

“Okay, I can do that. Things that bother me. Do you mean like foods and clothes that bother me, or do you mean like eye contact and that sort of thing?”

“Any or all of that”

“Okay, well, I guess I don’t really do eye contact. You probably noticed that. It doesn’t necessarily cause me any physical pain, but it makes me really uncomfortable. I also don’t really do social small talk, but I’m getting better at it. It’s not something that really bothers me or anything, I just don’t really understand it, if that makes sense.”

“Yeah.”

“Er… and sometimes, I just can't really talk… I guess. One of the doctors said that that means I’ve gone nonverbal, but that’s kind of irrelevant. If that happens, I can usually answer yes or no questions by shaking or nodding my head. I also know some sign language. I’ve used with doctors before, but I don’t know if you know sign… do you?”

“I learned it a while back, but I don’t know how much I remember, and I was never very fast.”

“Okay. I don’t like loud… or complex noise. That can send me into sensory overload. That’s what happened at church, the other day. Um… and… sometimes, food… the textures, they’re… bad. And, sometimes… it’s like… I don’t know, I’ve run out of words.”

“Is that happening now?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s okay. Thanks for starting to explain. If you want, we can talk more about this later. I just want to know what you need and what I can do to help you. For now, do you want to watch a movie? I know it’s a school night, but it’s still pretty early.”

“Okay.”

“How about you go pick one out while I wash the dishes?”

The only response I got to that question was Mac rushing off to the living room, presumably to pick out a movie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
